GCSE Chemistry Week 3 Exam Preparation Tips

TLDR: knuckling down on areas you struggle with and putting them to the test with more past papers.

Figuring out what revision methods work best for you is really important to make sure you’re using your time wisely. Everyone learns differently, and I’ve found that finding the best ways to work is an ongoing process (I’m definitely still learning, and I’m really old). In preparing for doing a couple more papers, why not try switching up the way you work to see if there’s a technique that you really enjoy. See below for some different ways of revising.

Side note: while this may be your first exam season, it probably won’t be your last (big sad). A-level exam season and university exam seasons are very similar in terms of how you prepare, so working out how best you revise is not only going to benefit you for this exam season, but also for if/when you go onto further education or even when you start working.

Revision techniques:

- The Pomodoro Method: this method, backed up by science, is super easy. The idea is to do really focussed work for 25 minutes, and then take a 5-minute break. Then do another 25 minutes, and another 5-minute break, repeat two more times and then take a longer break for roughly 25 minutes. Then rinse and repeat the whole process. The idea is that by working in shorter chunks of time with regular breaks, you increase your focus and are able to retain information better.

- Flashcards: some things, as dull as it can be, just must be memorised. Flame test colours, for example, are great to learn on flashcards, as you can do them anywhere. By spending a couple of minutes making a few flashcards (either on paper or online) going over key concepts, one-off facts, and keywords, and taking these flashcards with you on the bus, you can be revising in small chunks throughout the day. This work all builds up! For ideas on what to put on flashcards for each topic, the end of topic multiple choice Bitesize quizzes are a great place to start (and Bitesize in general).

- Mind mapping: to really see what you remember of a topic, sometimes just sketching a good old fashioned mind map can help. Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down all the facts, key words, and tricks to remember for a certain topic. Maybe do it with the specification to guide you. At the end of the 10 minutes identify which areas you couldn’t remember much for and make some time to revise these bits.

- Accountability partners: work with a friend! Hold each other accountable for getting work done (and make sure you really are working). Why not try doing the Pomodoro Method together. Your accountability partner doesn’t even have to be a person – why not try working through this week’s past papers with a worked example from youtube? Search “Chemistry GCSE Walkthrough” for videos going fully through some papers.

These are just some ideas to get you going with trying out different forms of revision. Mixing it up can be a great way to feel like you’re not just going round in circles, so try out different ways of working and don’t be afraid to get creative!

Suggested plan:

Monday: Decide on a set of papers to work through this week. Revise your weakest topics for paper one. Have an early night to prepare for sitting the first paper.

Tuesday: Eat a good breakfast and prepare your work area for sitting the paper. Complete it under timed conditions as best you can. If you need extra time, make a note of how much.

Wednesday: Revise areas of weakness to prepare for sitting paper 2 tomorrow.

Thursday: Work through paper 2 under exam conditions.

Friday: Mark the papers and revise your revision plan accordingly – are there topics you thought you weren’t good at that you smashed in this paper? Were there topics that you expected to be easy that actually lost you a lot of marks? Revise (see what I did there) your revision plan depending on these questions.

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Martha. Martha will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Martha will answer them in these sessions.